If you’re a regular World of Warcraft mount collector, you’ve definitely scrolled through the PvP vendor’s inventory and stared at the bold, unique vicious mount line-up wondering what it takes to get one. I’ve farmed 7 vicious saddles across the last two expansions, both as a casual player logging 3 hours a week and as a more dedicated PvP fan grinding during season lulls, so I know all the shortcuts and pitfalls of this farm. If you’re wondering how to get a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft, this guide breaks down every step, from eligibility requirements to the fastest farm routes that don’t require you to no-life the game for weeks.
Prerequisites You Need Before You Can Get a Vicious Saddle in World of Warcraft
First, let’s cover the basic requirements you need to meet before you even start earning progress towards a saddle, because nothing is more frustrating than wasting 2 hours in queues only to find out you don’t qualify. You need to be at least level 70 (current max for Dragonflight) to participate in rated PvP, which is the only way to earn vicious saddle progress. If you have a lower level alt you’re playing, you won’t get any progress for wins on that character, so focus on getting your main to level cap first before you start the farm.
You also don’t need any specific PvP rating to start earning progress, which is a common misconception. Even players stuck in the 1000-1200 rating bracket can earn a saddle just as fast as players at 1800+, because progress per win is the same across all rating levels. That said, higher ratings do come with a few bonus perks that can speed up your farm long term, which we’ll cover later. If you meet all these prerequisites, you’re ready to start working to get a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft.
How to Earn Vicious Saddle Progress Fast
The core of the farm is simple: you fill a progress bar by winning rated PvP matches, and once the bar hits 100%, you get a vicious saddle in your inventory automatically. Each rated 2v2, 3v3, or rated battleground win fills 3% of your vicious saddle progress bar, which means you need 34 total wins to earn one full saddle. That might sound like a lot, but if you have a decent win rate, you can knock that out in 10-15 hours of total playtime, or even less if you queue strategically.
For 90% of players, 2v2 arena is the fastest mode to farm progress. Queues for 2v2 are 1-2 minutes on average for DPS players, and less than 30 seconds for healers, and matches usually only last 3-7 minutes. That means you can fit 4-6 matches into a 30 minute play session, which is perfect for casual players who only have time to play after work or on weekends. 3v3 and rated battlegrounds give the same 3% progress per win, but matches are longer and queues are slower, so they’re only worth playing if you actually enjoy those modes more than 2v2.
There are a few small tweaks you can make to cut your farm time almost in half, and I swear by all of these from personal experience:
- Queue for 2v2 arena as a DPS/healer pair to cut queue times and boost win rates by 20-30% compared to solo queuing with random partners
- Play during peak hours (7pm-11pm local server time) to get faster, more balanced matches that are less likely to be steamrolled by high-rated premade teams
- Use 1-2 basic PvP addons to track enemy cooldowns and avoid avoidable mistakes that cost you winnable matches
- Stick to one spec you know well instead of switching between specs mid-farm, since familiarity with your kit is the biggest factor in low-to-mid rating win rates
If you queue with a partner you communicate well with, your win rate can jump 20-30% compared to solo queuing. I used to solo queue as a DPS and had a 38% win rate, which meant I needed almost 90 matches to get 34 wins. When I started queuing with a healer friend I talked to over Discord, my win rate jumped to 62%, so I only needed 55 matches total to get the same number of wins. Every win brings you one step closer to getting a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft, so even small win rate boosts make a huge difference over time.
Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Vicious Saddle Farm
Over the years I’ve helped a dozen of my guild mates earn their first vicious saddle, and I’ve seen the same mistakes over and over that add hours of unnecessary grind to the process. First, never show up to rated PvP in questing gear or dungeon gear that has no PvP resilience. Never queue for rated PvP without at least basic PvP gear, because you’ll get one-shot by even average PvP players, and you’ll waste 10+ minutes of queue time for a match you had zero chance of winning. You can get a full set of entry-level PvP gear from the honor vendor in Valdrakken for just a few thousand honor, which you can earn in 2-3 unrated battlegrounds. It’s 100% worth the 30 minute detour before you start your farm.
Another huge mistake I see all the time is forgetting that progress resets at the end of every PvP season. Vicious saddle progress does not carry over between WoW expansions or PvP seasons, so if you leave your bar 90% full the day before a season ends, you lose all that progress and have to start from zero the next season. You can check your current progress any time in the PvP tab under the Rated section, it’s the small blue bar right under your 2v2/3v3/rbg rating. I set a reminder on my phone two weeks before a season ends to make sure I finish any partial progress I have, and I haven’t lost a bar since I started doing that. These mistakes can add hours to your time to get a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft, so it’s worth taking 2 minutes to double check before you start grinding.
The last common mistake is jumping between game modes every few matches. If you’re used to the fast, close-quarters play of 2v2 arena, switching to rated battlegrounds means you have to learn entirely new strategies, callouts, and meta compositions, which will tank your win rate for the first 5-10 matches as you adjust. Stick to one mode for your entire farm, and you’ll have a much easier time building momentum and winning consistently.
What to Do Once You Earn Your Vicious Saddle
Once you get a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft, you’ll be able to choose from dozens of exclusive mounts that non-PvP players can’t access. First, you need to find the right vendor to turn in your saddle. For Alliance players, you can go to the PvP vendor in Old Town, Stormwind, and for Horde players, the vendor is in the Valley of Honor in Orgrimmar. You can also find the vicious mount vendor in the PvP area of Valdrakken if you’re hanging out in the Dragonflight capital, so you don’t have to travel back to old world capitals if you don’t want to.
The vendor has more than 15 vicious mounts available, dating all the way back to the Battle for Azeroth expansion, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. If you’re a flying mount fan, the Vicious War Gryphon (Alliance) and Vicious War Wyvern (Horde) are both fan favorites with unique animations that stand out in any capital city. If you prefer ground mounts, the Vicious War Kodo and Vicious War Mechanostrider are both silly, eye-catching options that get tons of comments from other players when you ride them around cities. Some older vicious mounts are only available via vicious saddles, so they won't come back in future seasons, so if you see one you love, grab it first before you consider saving your saddle for future releases.
You can earn as many vicious saddles as you want per season, there’s no cap, so if you want to collect all available mounts, you can farm as many as you have time for. Saddles are also account bound, so if you earn one on your main but want to use it for a mount on your alt, you can just mail it over with no restrictions.
Farming a vicious saddle doesn’t have to be the soul-crushing grind a lot of players make it out to be. I just earned my 8th saddle last week to get the Vicious War Mechanostrider, and it only took me 12 days of casual 2v2 queues after work, so it’s totally doable even if you don’t have 8 hours a day to play WoW. Whether you’re a long-time mount collector or new to PvP, learning how to get a vicious saddle in World of Warcraft is a great way to unlock unique, bragging-rights mounts that stand out in any capital city. Just stick to the 2v2 queue, play with a friend if you can, and don’t forget to finish your progress before the season ends, and you’ll have your first saddle in no time.
